Johannesburg : External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj will participate in the BRICS Foreign Ministers’ meeting in the South African city of Johannesburg today.

The meeting is expected to lay the foundation for next month’s annual summit of the grouping which will also be held in Johannesburg.

The BRICS comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Mrs Swaraj will also chair a meeting of Foreign Ministers of IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa), another bloc working to deepen coordination among the three countries on major global issues.

The External Affairs Minister will also attend a series of events marking the 125th anniversary of the historic incident where a young Mahatma Gandhi was thrown out of a train compartment in Pietermaritzburg railway station in 1893.

The incident proved to be a turning point in Mahatma Gandhi’s fight against racial discrimination in South Africa.

Last evening, Mrs Swaraj called on South African President Cyril Ramaphosa and discussed with him ways to make further progress in bilateral and multilateral co-operation.

The External Affairs Minister had reached South Africa earlier in the day on a five-day visit.